Hearing loss decisions — 2020

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted. The Board found that the Veteran's reported Vietnam stressors were adequate to support a diagnosis of PTSD and related to his fear of hostile military or terrorist activity, leading to the grant of service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current tinnitus disability is at least as likely as not related to his military service. Service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied due to lack of a current disability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, a head condition, tinnitus, right ankle disability (status post Achilles tendon repair), sciatic nerve disabilities of the left and right lower extremities, right hip disability, left hip disability, neck disability, and migraines have been dismissed.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for low back disability has been reopened due to new and material evidence. The Board finds that there is no evidence showing a chronic condition in service or within one year after discharge.

The Board dismissed the appeal for bilateral hearing loss and denied service connection for gastrointestinal disorder (claimed as irritable bowel syndrome/Crohn’s disease) due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Veteran's appeals to reopen claims for PTSD, tinnitus, and left ear hearing loss have been granted. The claim of service connection for anal fistula has been denied.,The appeal to reopen the claim of service connection for PTSD is granted due to new evidence showing a diagnosis of PTSD.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals regarding initial ratings for diabetes mellitus, type II and a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss. The appeal is also dismissed as moot due to the grant of a 100 percent disability rating for his acquired psychiatric disability.

The Veteran's service connection claim for a right ankle disorder and hearing loss was denied. The Veteran received a compensable evaluation (10%) for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss, but the Board found no evidence of a current right ankle disability to grant service connection.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the failure of the Veteran to appear for scheduled VA examinations.,The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the failure of the Veteran to appear for scheduled VA examinations.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further development and consideration, including obtaining updated VA treatment records, scheduling a VA examination by an ENT specialist regarding hearing loss, and scheduling a VA examination by an appropriate medical professional regarding hepatitis C.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for painful joints was dismissed due to the appellant (or his or her authorized representative) requesting a withdrawal of the appeal. The appeals for compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, right ankle condition, left ankle condition, and bilateral knee condition are remanded.

The Veteran's hearing loss and skin condition of the feet claims are being remanded for additional development, including obtaining service personnel records, updated VA treatment records, and medical opinions from an ENT specialist and a clinician.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there is no evidence of a nexus between his current hearing loss and his military service.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service-connected.,Service connection for colon polyps to include as due to herbicide exposure is denied.,Service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities to include as due to herbicide exposure is denied.

The Board has determined that further development is necessary to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims for service connection of bilateral hearing loss, lumbar spine disability, and thoracic spine disability. The Veteran will need a new examination and medical opinion regarding her hearing loss and back disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current hearing impairment is related to his in-service noise exposure. However, it denied service connection for a respiratory condition, concluding that there is no link between the Veteran's current COPD and his military service.

The Board has granted the Veteran's petitions to reopen his claims for service connection for low back disability and bilateral hearing loss. Service connection is denied for both conditions.

The Board denied service connection for right ear hearing loss and left ear hearing loss, finding that the Veteran does not have a current disability to an extent recognized as a disability for VA purposes. The Board also found no evidence of aggravation of preexisting left ear hearing loss during service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to an error in converting audiometric test results, and requests additional information from the original examiner or another appropriate examiner.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss as there was no current disability of bilateral hearing loss found, and thus no basis to grant service connection.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and effective dates have been remanded due to the need for additional examinations.,The Veteran is currently receiving the maximum schedular rating for tinnitus, but his claim of service connection for allergic rhinitis, bilateral hearing loss, and left shoulder ankylosis (including any neurological disability) has been granted with effective dates set at March 12, 2015.